“Virginia’s Transportation Challenge: Enhancing Mobility through Safer, Simpler, Smarter Solutions” is the topic of the 53rd Virginia Transportation Conference, scheduled Oct. 17-19 at the Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center. Featured speakers include Virginia Secretary of Transportation Whittington E. Clement, Commonwealth Transportation Commissioner Philip Shucet, Department of Rail and Public Transportation Director Karen Rae, as well as guests from Norfolk Southern, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Rail Administration, Federal Highway Administration, Washington State Department of Transportation and many other agencies.

The conference includes a large trade show, featuring exhibits from companies and agencies that specialize in various aspects of transportation technology, construction or consulting.

More than 700 people have registered to attend the conference, which is being held for the first time outside of Lexington. “We expect this to be among the best transportation information exchange opportunities ever offered in Virginia,” said Gary Allen, VDOT chief of technology, research and innovation and director of the Virginia Transportation Research Council. “Anyone who is interested in multi-modal transportation issues and solutions is invited to attend.”

A new feature of the conference is a student paper awards competition. Awards will be presented to college and university students who submitted papers on the topics of transportation mobility, safety, applied technology or policy.

The Virginia Transportation Conference is hosted by the Virginia Department of Transportation, Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, Virginia Port Authority, Virginia Department of Aviation and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.

Registration information and a detailed conference agenda are available at www.vatransconf.org.